The Money Answer Book

The other day I finished reading Dave Ramsey's The Money Answer Book from the NC Digital Library.  It was written in a question and answer format, divided into sections based on major topics in personal finance.  It was also pretty direct and to the point, which I appreciated.  I've read some of Dave Ramsey's other books, and sometimes I feel like I get bogged down in the stories.  I understand that they're meant to be motivational, but I like practical tips best.

I've been making budgets Dave-Ramsey-style since before I knew who Dave Ramsey was, and my husband and I are doing pretty well in terms of his baby steps.  Reading through this book though did cause me to put a few more things on my to-do list (which consisted of a series of one-line emails to Steven).  He has some great tips!

2016 Book Count: 7

5 Days to a Clutter-Free House

I found this book (5 Days to a Clutter-Free House by Sandra Felton and Marsha Sims) on the North Carolina Digital Library, which is probably my new favorite thing.  All you need is the number off your regular library card and your 4-digit pin number (many libraries  recommend the last four digits of your phone number- so try that if you forgot yours).  The selection isn't amazing, but you can definitely find something to read!

I wasn't too impressed with this book.  I felt like the first half of it could be summarized in about a paragraph, but the second half of the book had a few good tips.

Basically, the authors recommend gathering together a group of people (2 people per room of your house if possible) and focus on clearing surfaces, using body benchmarks.  Day 1 is feet to knees, day 2 is knees to shoulders, day 3 is shoulders to the ceiling, day 4 is reserved for inside cupboards and cabinets, and day 5 is for storage areas like a garage or shed.  As you go through clearing surfaces, everything gets put into those neat little white cardboard storage boxes, labeled with where you found the stuff and where it goes.  For example, a box might be labeled "Papers from coffee table in living room- going to office" or "Shoes from dining room- going to master bedroom."  At the end of each day, you take the boxes to the room in which they ultimately belong and neatly stack them against the wall.  Later, the homeowner, will go through the boxes, either putting each item where it "lives" in the house, putting it in a pile to donate, or putting it in a "maybe" box.. which will have to be sorted through eventually.  When the initial work crew goes through the house, any obvious trash can be discarded, but "likely trash" stuff should be put in a box labeled trash for the homeowner to make ultimate decisions about.  So, obvious trash would be things like gum wrappers and used paper plates.  "Likely trash" might be something like a broken toy.

That's really the meat of the first half of the book, in a nutshell.  Most of the book was meant to be inspirational rather than strictly practical.  The second half of the book gives tips for sorting through those white boxes and keeping your house from getting cluttered again.

2016 Book Count: 6

Hominy Casserole

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter
1 large onion
1 green bell pepper
15 oz can of white hominy
15 oz can of yellow hominy
about 2 tbsp flour
about 2 cups of milk
1 8 oz block of sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Ritz crackers, most of one sleeve

Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, black pepper, and a tiny bit of cayenne pepper

Directions:

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and add your chopped onions and bell peppers.  Stir them around until they're soft and getting brown.

Drain and rinse both cans of hominy, and add it to the skillet.  Cook it until it's nice and hot.

Push your vegetables to one side of the skillet and tilt it so your butter pours away from them into another corner.  Add the flour and stir it around until it starts to brown.

Then add your milk.  Be sure to stir it really well and make sure any little clumps of buttery flour are incorporated.

Add your grated cheese and stir it around until it melts.  It's okay if it's not totally melted though, because you're going to put it in the oven.

Crumble up the Ritz crackers and sprinkle them over the top.

Bake it in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the crackers on top are starting to brown and you can see the sauce bubbling through a little.

It is not the most beautiful casserole ever, but it is so good!  It's really rich and heavy- good for a cold night.